


Cautionary Fairytale

by Trigger Finger (NatashaCole)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:48:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23264212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaCole/pseuds/Trigger%20Finger
Summary: Rob and Reader have slowly been unraveling. He’s ignoring the truth though, pretending that nothing is wrong. Will he wake up and realize that he needs to fix things? Or is this one story that doesn’t have a happy ending?
Relationships: Rob Benedict/Reader
Kudos: 4





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I DID IT! I wrote something! Okay, it’s not for all of the other stories I haven’t finished… but sometimes, starting something new kicks me into gear to work on old stuff. Anyway, this’ll be a mini series. Fingers crossed I can keep writing.
> 
> Also, totally based on my favorite song from the Dick Jr. and The Volunteers album (that Rob wrote).

When Rob got in late that night, he expected to come home to her. She was always there when he came home, usually waiting for him as she always knew his schedule and knew the exact moment he’d walk through that door.

Their reunions were always perfect. She’d greet him with that perfect, beautiful smile that he missed like crazy while he was away, he’d leave his bags at the door, and she’d kiss him and they’d spend an amazing night together.

This time though, she wasn’t there waiting for him. Granted, she didn’t know he was coming home early from the convention, it was meant to be a surprise after all. Still, he had expected her to be there. She was always there waiting for him.

Lately, Rob had the feeling that things between them were rocky. She had been distant and short with him, and he knew the reasons why. He had been avoiding it for a while because he was afraid of what confronting it would do to them. But, he knew. He could see it every time she looked at him lately, he could hear it in her voice every time he talked to her on the phone. He had known for some time that he needed to do better or he’d lose her. This was his first attempt at fixing things, and he was already failing at it it seemed.

Rather than overthink it too much, he ended up waiting in return. He sat on the couch, watching the door as if she’d walk through at any minute and give him that big goofy grin when she noticed he was home. After a couple of hours of waiting, he decided he should check on her instead. Perhaps she had just gone out. Maybe she’d rush home if she knew that he was there.

It was late, but he grabbed his phone and made the call anyway. Obviously she was up and just out somewhere with friends.

It rang a few times before she finally answered, her voice groggy and quiet as if he had just woken her from sleep.

“Rob?” She asked in a soft voice.

“Hey, Y/N,” he smiled to himself just upon hearing her voice. It had been a long few days since he had heard her voice. “Where are you?”

“What do you mean?” She asked. “Rob, it’s really late.”

“I mean, I came home early to surprise you, and well, you’re not here.”

“Oh,” she muttered. “I- I’m actually away for a few days.”

“Like, out of town?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t mention going away.”

He heard her sigh and there was some rustling in the background. He knew he had woken her.

“Well, you know, you’re busy and I didn’t think it mattered.”

“Where did you go?”

“I’m just visiting my family.”

“In Nashville?” He asked in surprise.

He felt a knot form in his throat as he tried to hold back from crying or yelling at her. He was undeniably upset to hear this from her, yet he knew he had to approach this carefully.

“Yeah.”

“I was- literally just in Nashville for the con,” he said. “I left Nashville early to come see you.”

“Yeah, apparently.”

“I’m just a little confused… you didn’t mention you were going to Nashville. I was just there and you said nothing.”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” she said after a pause.

“Why wouldn’t you just tell me you were going there too? We could have flown together and spent some time together.”

“It was kinda a last minute thing… I didn’t want to bug you since you were going for work. We couldn’t have seen each other anyway, you’re so busy.”

“I would’ve made time for you.”

“Sure,” she chuckled in return, a hint of snark in her laugh as if to say that she didn’t believe it. “I’m sorry. I’ll be home on Wednesday.”

“You’re away for that long? And you didn’t tell me?”

“Rob, you’re usually away for longer periods of time and I get no say in it,” she said sharply. “Besides, I just didn’t want to bother you.”

In just a short conversation, she had managed to reiterate that she didn’t want to bother him far too many times. Rob at least caught on to that quickly and it bothered him that she would even think that she could be a bother. At no point in their relationship had she ever bothered him, and he was uneasy at the way she seemed to think she would.

“You’re gone until Wednesday and you decided not to mention this trip to me? I normally would have been home on Monday… and I would’ve come home to you not here.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I would have called to let you know so you didn’t worry. Probably today or something. I’ve just been… preoccupied. I promise I would have called though.”

She seemed almost annoyed by him now. Her voice didn’t carry the usual happiness that it did when they talked and it was as if he was just a forgotten thought in the whole situation. Why would she not tell him she had planned a trip like this? He always told her when he was going away.

“Did I… did I do something wrong, Y/N?” He asked carefully. “Are you upset with me?”

“No.,” she replied quickly. “I just needed to get away for awhile. And I haven’t seen my family in a long time. I honestly just didn’t think it would matter. I didn’t know you’d be home early.”

“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise,” he muttered.

“Yeah, I am quite surprised. You never do things like this.”

“You sound upset. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she sighed. “Really just- can we just talk about this when I get home?”

“I have to leave on Wednesday… the next convention…”

“Of course you do,” she replied, cutting him off with the same snark present in her voice.

“Y/N I- do I need to cancel?”

“No. Don’t do that,” you replied. “It’s fine. We’ll just talk the next time we see each other.”

“So… in like, a week?”

“Well, if that’s how long you’ll be away for work, then yes. A week.”

“I- I wish you would have told me,” he said again, still feeling hurt that she wasn’t even here waiting for him the way she always had been.

“I was going to,” she replied. “When I was ready to.”

“I probably should have let you know I was coming home early. Now I’ve just cancelled my appearance for the last day of the convention to see you and you’re not even here.”

“Are you trying to make me feel bad?” She asked.

“No. Not at all,” he lied.

He sighed as he leaned back against the couch, running a hand down his face in frustration as he thought about what an idiot he was. He never should have cut out early on a work thing. Now he’d just have bummed out fans to deal with, and for what?

“I just- was excited to see you… maybe spend a few days with you.”

“I’m not coming home early, if that’s what you’re getting at,” she said flatly.

“No. Of course not. It’s been awhile since you’ve gone home. Still, maybe I would have liked to come along too, you know.”

“Rob,” she paused for a moment before continuing her thought. “I’ve been trying to plan a trip home for the past year and nothing ever worked for you. Sorry, I just- got tired of waiting.”

“Well, I was actually just there. If you had mentioned it, we could have made it work.”

“Rob, it’s two in the morning,” she replied, now sounding more irritated than before. “I said we’ll talk about it when I get home- or, when I see you again.”

“Yeah, sure. Sorry I woke you.”

“And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Sorry you’re there alone.”

“I’m not very good at surprises, am I?”

“Well, I appreciate the gesture, I guess.”

“”Go back to bed. Have fun with your family. I’ll- call you later. I miss your voice.”

“Sure. I’ll see you when I see you.”

“One week,” he reminded her. “I promise.”

“Hopefully,” she replied. “You know, stuff tends to come up with you. So, hopefully.”

He chose to ignore that uncertainty on her part. He could tell something was wrong and he knew he had to ensure that he did see her in a week. For once, he would make sure that nothing else came up and got in the way of that.

“I love you,” he said softly. “And I miss you like crazy.”

“Me too,” she replied. “Goodnight, Rob.”

Before he got another word out, she had ended the call, leaving him sitting there like an idiot with the phone still at his ear as if his wishful thinking would keep her on. It didn’t though.

He sighed again before forcing himself up off of the couch. It was late and he was exhausted. The emotional drain of that strange phone call and even weirder behavior from Y/N had built up on top of the exhaustion from work and the flight home. He had expected to come home to the woman he loved and feel a little more complete with his life as he held her in their bed that night. She had no idea how it was for him when he was away, and how she was the only thing in this world to fix everything when he was with her.

Tonight though, he’d be alone in their bed. It would be a first for him, and she hadn’t even told him that she loved him before she hung up.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob and Reader have slowly been unraveling. He’s ignoring the truth though, pretending that nothing is wrong. Will he wake up and realize that he needs to fix things? Or is this one story that doesn’t have a happy ending?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on my favorite song from the Dick Jr. and The Volunteers album (that Rob wrote).

Rob couldn’t stop thinking about Y/N. It wasn’t unusual for the two of them to go this long without seeing each other, but the circumstances were unusual. She had never just gone away for this long without telling him, at least not to his knowledge.

Then, there was the way they left their phone conversation. She had definitely been upset with him. The fact that he was gone before she even returned home made him feel worse about it. Not to mention the fact that she hadn’t been answering his phone calls or texts the way she usually did.

It was a strange thing and Rob felt sort of detached for the first time in their relationship. Even when they weren’t together, she was always there to answer his calls or texts, no matter what she was doing or what time it was. In a way, it was as if she was at his beck and call constantly, and now that she wasn’t, it unsettled him.

They didn’t see each other at all that week. Her flight home wasn’t scheduled to be back before he headed out for the next convention.

He tried to keep his mind on work, but he couldn’t help but to send her a text occasionally. It took her an unusually long time to answer each one and each reply was short. The last one he sent her had been left on read. That had been hours ago.

He sighed and put his phone in his pocket, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“You alright?” He heard a voice ask him.

He broke from his thoughts and turned to Briana who was watching him intently from across the table where he was sitting in the green room.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine,” he mumbled in return.

“Really?” She asked. “Because it’s almost like your mind has been somewhere else this weekend.”

“Just- thinking,” he said.

“You’ve been off,” Briana pointed out. “You sure everything’s okay?”

Briana always noticed when something wasn’t right. It really wasn’t worth it to argue with her when she caught on to something.

“Yeah, I know,” Rob replied. “I just- have a lot on my mind.”

“What’s up?”

“Things are fine.”

“How’s Y/N?” She asked suddenly. “We haven’t seen her around in a long time. I’ve tried to catch up with her in L.A. and it never seems to work out.”

She raised a brow at him, indicating that she knew damn well that there was something going on with her. She watched him, her stare telling Rob that she knew.

“She’s good,” Rob replied.

Honestly, even he wasn’t so certain about that. She was usually good. Always happy, always smiling, always willing to spend time with friends if she could. But apparently, she wasn’t even making time for her friends.

“I just feel like she used to love coming to conventions and it’s been months since she has.”

“Yeah,” Rob shrugged. “She’s got her own thing going on. She’s been busy.”

“When was the last time you even asked her to come to one?”

Rob thought about it. Maybe this was on him. It had been a long time since he even invited her along. There had come a point in their relationship where he wondered if this was something she was even interested in anymore. The last convention she came to, months ago, was when he first noticed that something was off.

She had been friendly and attentive with the group as she usually was, but Rob had felt sort of ignored that weekend.

“I suppose it has been a while,” he replied.

“I don’t know-“ Briana shrugged, “Maybe spending more time with her, even while you work, could be a good idea.”

Rob looked away, sort of embarrassed that even she could tell that things between him and Y/N were rocky. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he knew she was right. Most of their problems stemmed from the fact that he just wasn’t around and there for her like she wanted him to be. Y/N would also never admit that out loud. She had never told him that his absence in her life made her sad or angry. But, deep down, Rob knew. He knew he was the problem.

————-

He continued through his day, getting busy as the convention picked up. He was onstage most of the time, then in photo ops. It wasn’t until he finished his panel with Rich that he took another second to check his phone.

Rob fished his phone out of his pocket, checking to see if Y/N had answered him while he was onstage during his panel. Still nothing. She had read his text hours ago and still hadn’t replied. He swallowed hard and put his phone away.

There was no point in texting again. He told himself that it was just because she was spending time with her family and was preoccupied. He tried not to let it bother him, but it did.

————-

By the end of Sunday, Rob was exhausted. He was also thrilled to be done with the weekend and all he could think about was flying home the next morning. He wished he could say that he was excited to see Y/N, but mostly he was afraid. He was afraid that she might not even be home when he got there. He was afraid or what would happen between them if she was home when he walked in.

It seemed as if it was all just building up. Eventually, she would get sick of him, right? There would come a day when she decided that she deserved better. He didn’t think he could face that.

Rob shook the thoughts from his mind as he crawled into bed that night. Maybe there was a still a chance for them, maybe he could make things right. He decided that he’d ask her to come alone with him next weekend to the next convention. It wasn’t exactly an offer that was romantic or could save their relationship, but he hoped that she would realize that he really did want to spend time with her. He hoped he still had a chance.

He grabbed his phone again, still not expecting there to be a message or anything from her. There wasn’t. But, he texted her again.

_“I miss you. I love you.”_

It was all he could bring himself to type out. In the sea of all of the thoughts that had been racing through his mind lately, that was it. That was all he really wanted her to know.

He waited for a minute, watching the screen in hopes that she’d at least reply to that. He gave up as the message sat there, unread.

Putting his phone away, he sighed and turned off the lamp next to the bed. Maybe tomorrow would be different. Maybe things would be good again once he was home.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob and Reader have slowly been unraveling. He’s ignoring the truth though, pretending that nothing is wrong. Will he wake up and realize that he needs to fix things? Or is this one story that doesn’t have a happy ending?

You could swear that you saw just a hint of relief on Rob’s face when you greeted him as he walked through the door after the convention.

The last thing you wanted to do was upset him. In fact, you avoided it at all costs if you could. Which was why you made sure that you were at home waiting for him when he returned. Perhaps leaving to visit family without telling him while he was away hadn’t been the best idea. He had been so upset when he called you, confused as to why you weren’t home, and even more confused as to why you hadn’t even mentioned your little trip to him.

At the time, it really had been a last minute decision on your part. It wasn’t like you planned on upsetting him. Mainly, a lot was going through your mind and the only thing you could think of to deal with that was to just run away for a bit. There was a lot to unpack here. A lot had been building up. You briefly considered the fact that it had actually felt kind of nice to upset him the way that you had, but your joy in having him upset for a change had been short lived as you dwelled on how worried he sounded during that phone call while you were away. But, right now, you were actually really happy to see him.

You always missed him like crazy when he was away. You didn’t think anything could even change the feeling you got when you saw that face after days or weeks of being alone.

So, before Rob could bring up your little disappearing act again, you dropped what you were doing and greeted him the way you always did.

He started to say something, but you hastily cut him off with a kiss; wrapping your arms around his shoulders as you pressed your body against him, the kiss deep and wanting. You made the effort that you always did. You wanted to remind him that you loved him.

His tenseness washed away quickly as you felt him ease up in your embrace, and before you knew it, he was kissing you back and holding you with the same intensity that he usually had. 

You knew. You knew what was coming. He was worried and you had behaved in a way that you never had before. Every phone call or text following that night hinted right in that direction. Even now, as the two of you were here together and you were trying your hardest to play the happy girlfriend role, you could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t convinced.

The last time you had seen this much uncertainty and uneasiness in him was when he asked you to move in with him. It had been a big step for both of you. He had been unsure if he was willing to allow someone into his life that much and, even back then, you were unsure if you wanted to get in too deep with someone like him. You had learned in the beginning what being with Rob was going to be like. It had taken a lot of time on your part to decide if you were willing to be second in his life. 

In the end, your love for him won. You had to learn to get along without him most of the time; to be willing to wait for him and possibly not even see him for weeks at a time. Back then, it had been worth it. It was still worth it in a way.

Once the hello’s were done, you went back to tidying up the living room, which you had been in the middle of doing when he walked in. Even though you were a bit busy, Rob took it as an opportunity to bring up the thing that you were hoping he would just drop.

“How was your trip?” He asked.

“It was really good. Thanks for asking.”

“Do you do this type of thing often?” He asked.

Regardless of the effort you had put in to avoiding the entire thing, he still wasn’t letting it go. For some reason, that bothered you. It wasn’t like you grilled him about where he was all the time and what he was doing when he was away. God forbid you take some time for yourself for a few days. Still, you tried to stay calm even though the mood in you had shifted. 

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“I mean… go away without me even knowing about it?”

“No,” you answered. “I don’t. Usually I just hang around here, waiting for you.”

Even you heard the bitterness in your voice as you said it. Rob looked at you with those pained eyes and you quickly avoided his gaze, realizing how mean you sounded right now. Regardless of whether something was his fault or not, you really didn’t like to see him upset. 

“I just, you know- needed to get away for awhile …” you continued. “To clear my head.”

“Clear it of what?”

“Since when do you ask so many questions?” You laughed.

The laugh wasn’t so much amusement, but rather annoyance that he was being so pushy about this. 

“Since I found out that my girlfriend apparently goes away for days at a time and doesn’t even mention it to me.”

“I didn’t realize we have to relay every single thing to each other. I mean, you don’t give me details on your every move every day and I don’t expect you to.”

“Y/N, I’m joking. It’s not that serious. I just- was surprised is all.”

“Well, I do have a life outside of you and waiting for you to come home.”

Again, your words were bitter. You couldn’t even try to hide how hurt you were anymore. He still looked at you as if he were a puppy that had just been kicked and you hated that he had this way of making you feel bad for things that clearly weren’t your fault.

“I know you do-“

“What do you want from me?” You sighed in frustration. “Are you really that upset that I went to see my family without asking you?”

“No. I’m not upset at all. I just thought it was something you would tell me about.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t think to tell you. I will next time.”

“Next time?”

You glanced up at him, taking note of the worry evident in his eyes.

“I didn’t- I didn’t mean it like that,” you said softly, now trying to calm yourself when you realized how upset he was by the whole thing. “Just- IF I decide to go visit my family or whatever, I’ll tell you before. It wasn’t fair of me to just leave without saying anything. I’m sorry.”

Rob bit his lip, still watching you, now looking as if he had more to say but was definitely stopping himself. You hoped he would. The argument was tired, and even though you might have done it all to purposely hurt him, you were over it now. You didn’t want him to worry. 

“Let’s just go to bed,” you said, knowing that you could easily get him to drop the whole thing. 

“It’s still pretty early…” he replied in confusion.

“I didn’t say we were going to sleep,” you teased as you approached him.

“Oh?” He asked, acting surprised, but giving you that cute grin as he raised a brow at you in interest.

“I haven’t seen you in so long, and I missed you,” you continued. “I just want to be with you. I’ll feel better when I’m with you. I promise.”

You grinned devilishly at him, trying your hardest to change the mood, wrapping your arms around him to pull him close as you began to place soft kisses against his neck. He eased up in your embrace, sighing as you took your time touching and tasting him. He reached up to cup your face in his hands, pulling your face close to his so that he could kiss you hard on the lips. You gasped audibly against his mouth, letting him know that it was okay to take it further. 

The argument had been all but forgotten. 

At least moments like this were always perfect, the way he wanted you so badly when he came home, the way he couldn’t keep his hands off of you when he finally saw you after days or even weeks away. It almost made up for a lot of things. Almost.

—————————————————————–

Afterwards, you hoped to just bask in the feeling of being with him again. You hoped that things would go back to normal; the two of you still being in love, and perhaps still pretending that nothing was wrong. It seemed as if Rob was still not willing to let things go though.

“You know, I had to spend a few nights alone in our bed,” he reminded you.

“Are you still trying to make me feel bad?”

“No. I just- it was weird is all. I think that was the first time I’ve ever slept in our bed alone.”

“Yeah, well, I do it all the time,” you replied, not hiding your annoyance with him.

“I know,” he said, turning his face up in confusion by your shortness with him. “And, I do the same thing all the time… usually it’s in a hotel room somewhere though.”

“That’s really tough. I’m sorry you have to go through that.”

“Y/N,” he said, turning to stop you. 

He looked at you, sadness present in his eyes as he studied you. He put his hand on your face gently, making it so that you had to face him.

“What is going on with us?” He asked finally.

You thought about letting it all out right then. This was the first time he had even acknowledged that something was clearly wrong here. Your heart ached as you considered all of the things that you had wanted to say to him for so long, but could never bring yourself to actually say. However, these were the moments that you loved with him. These were the moments that you missed and craved when he was away. And these moments were so fleeting and uncommon when it came to the two of you, you never wanted to do or say anything to ruin them. 

“Nothing,” you lied. “Nothing is going on with us. We’re the same. It’s always the same. I’m just tired and I’m sorry if I’m being bitchy.”

“You’re not,” he said. “You just- seem to be really upset with me.”

“I’m not upset.”

“I don’t know that I believe you.”

Taking that as your cue, you sat up and pulled yourself out of the bed.

“What did I say?” He asked. “What did I do wrong?”

“Will you stop?” You said as you rolled your eyes at him, trying to act playful about it. ”Everything is fine.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get cleaned up,” you replied. “Let’s go out and have dinner. It’s been awhile.”

He only nodded at you, getting out of bed himself to join you.

For the rest of the night, it seemed Rob had taken the hint. You didn’t want to get too deep into whatever it was that was going on with you two, and perhaps he no longer wanted to acknowledge it either. 

The two of you had a surprisingly nice dinner together. Lately, date nights had been far and few in between. Even when you had time to go out for a meal or drinks, you were talking about the next job and how long he would be gone this time, or you weren’t talking at all. 

Tonight though, Rob was unusually attentive. He had stopped bringing up the incident completely, probably having decided that it was for his own good to just drop it. 

The two of you talked about your weeks, your trip, his work. The next thing you knew, discussion of the next convention weekend came up. Of course it was too good to be true that you’d avoid the topic especially when he just got home, but it was sort of inevitable. 

“I’m sorry I have to leave next weekend,” he said.

“Next weekend?” You asked. “You literally just did a convention.”

“I know. Sometimes they’re really close together. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know,” you said softly, now trying to zone out of the conversation. You hated it. You hated how much it bothered you that he worked like this. It also didn’t help that he seemed to be working on set more often.

“I had a thought though…” he said.

“What?”

“I was thinking… I can’t really get out of work next weekend…”

“Of course you can’t.”

“But… you should come with me.”

You looked up at him from across the table, sort of surprised that the thought had come to him. It had been a long time since he invited you along to a convention.

“Come with you to the convention?”

“Yeah. I mean, you used to all the time. Everyone misses you-“

“Everyone?”

“Yeah, everyone. And, we’d be able to spend time together.”

“Really?” You asked. “I wouldn’t be in the way of whatever it is you’re doing all weekend?”

“Why would you be in the way?” He asked, looking confused as to why you would say it like that. “You’ve never been in the way.”

You hated that your thoughts seemed to be slipping out loud lately. You hadn’t meant to say it. Mostly because it was stupid that you thought that way. But, you were holding onto a bit of resentment toward him. You couldn’t help but wonder if he was tired of you by now, because it sometimes really felt that way.

“I mean, if you really want me around…”

“Of course I do,” he said sharply. He went back to being upset in an instant and you had to look away.

“Well, I would really love to spend a weekend with you,” you answered. “Even if you’re working. Also, I haven’t seen everyone else in a while. It’ll be nice.”

“Good,” he smiled, letting out what you could only tell was a sigh of relief. “It’ll be good. I think we need this.”


End file.
